1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to a method and system for improved video communication and in particular to an improved method and system of multiparty video communication. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to an improved method and system for multiparty video communication which derives from a plurality of input video signals a single output video signal whose fields are derived cyclically from the fields of the input video signals.
2. Description of the Related Art
Video conference users on a wide area network, for example, typically use a multipoint control unit to handle the multitude of video signals received from each party to the video conference. The commercially available multipoint control units connect users in a star configuration and accept video from each party to the conference. The multipoint control unit selects one video signal from the incoming signals and transmits the selected video signal to all other parties to the conference. Therefore, each party can only display one video signal at any one time. An example of such an apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,710,917.
As a result, it would be desirable to provide a method and system for video conferencing which allows a party to display a plurality of video signals at one time.